This is a great thread as it pertains directly to me! :) Thanks so much to smrobs for posting it!
I knew last fall when I decided to get back into horses, that I needed to:
First take lessons and learn about horse care, and that included a good instructor who was going to stay around the area for a long time, and would one day hopefully help me find my first horse.
Two, not be in a big hurry to buy a horse, even though my nature is to get something as quickly as I can! ;)
Three, not be looking at the young flashy horses, but definitely go with something older and experienced, and above all CALM!!!
I am trying to be patient- it is hard , but it will pay off in the end. I have no desire to break any of my middle aged bones, or get hurt if I don't have to. I do have a desire to be a help to any horse that I buy, and be able to work with him/her to have great riding experiences.
At least I keep telling hubby all this when he asks me why I would not want to "get my money's worth" by buying a young horse, that will live a lot longer.... sigh....

That said...I do have a great trainer and we are starting my horse at ground zero with trust and respect. I have had a friend suggest that I trade him for something closer to what I thought he was and if he didn't have great ground manners and a kindness to him I probably would.

But I have made a commitment and promise to him....he will not be abused again by anyone.....and as a responsible owner, I am paying a trainer to work with me to smooth out his kinks.Posted via Mobile Device

I consider myself lucky with how me and Curly turned out.
She was very very green, so was I and we had no trainer for the first few months but neither of us has gotten injured.
Now that we are looking to move up in our abilities we have an excellent trainer to help us along the way because to have someone on the ground who truly knows what they are doing is invaluable.

I would reccomend anyone who is relatively new get a trainer and don't rush it.

This young woman speaks so much sense - forthright but not rude or insulting. Certain so called trainers out there blame (mostly) women for spoiling horses but quite often they have ended up with a horse already spoilt by someone else who has sweet talked them into buying it or they have overestimated their abilities or underestimated just HOW bad a real problem horse can be (check out Buck Brannaman when he came badly unstuck) Maybe the colts problems were caused by the woman who handled it but what went wrong was his fault because he made some fundamental mistakes himself. Unless you are really tough and/or prepared to lose money and get rid of a problem in any way you can off-load it then when you buy a horse try to foolow some rules
Best if you can buy one you already know to be good at what you want to do and being sold or recommended by someone you trust 100%
If not:
Take an experienced person with you who's opinion you know to be wise and listen to what they say.
See the horse ridden by the owner or their representative first and NEVER assume you are better than they are if the horse plays up. Why buy a problem? I have walked away from some horses without even trying them, no shame in it
If the horse feels challenging enough to give you concern when you when ride it walk away. A friend of mine convinced herself she could sort out the horse that bolted with her, ran into a fence that it then tried to jump and tipped over it. It was far too big, green and srtrong for her but she still bought it and ended up with a broken pelvic bone soon after, the horse was shot because it also damaged its back beyond repair
If you are only offered to try it in a menage and you want to trail ride then insist on being taken out on it, if its supposed to be a competition horse then I'd want to see how it performs and behaves at a showground, if you have to ride in traffic then see it ridden on the road in traffic, if you will have to ride alone then the same applies. If you're going to keep it in a reasonable sized paddock then ask to see it being caught in one, saddle it up, groom it, lead it, feed it. If its genuine then the seller won't object. I've had children spend whole weekends on my yard in the past so they can know if the pony I was selling was right for them.
Some good dealers will offer a no questions asked exchange (subject of course to you not having injured the animal) - never be ashamed to send anything back if you have this agreement
No matter how much or little you pay once its yours its yours and you might not be so good at hiding a problem or be hard faced enough to do it.
I always have an independant veterinarian check a horse before I buy it and do a blood test for dope or pain medication. In Britain auction yards have them on site as a matter of course so if you are brave enough to buy that way you don't go home with a horse that maybe has a serious heart condition and if you do take Mr Quiet and placid home and he suddenly turns overnight into a crazy monster or the sound trotter actually has a limp you have a sound legal case to get your money back, something that the US should consider as well as all auction horse having legally binding warranties - they have to do what it says on the label
Ask for help from someone who really sounds as if they care - not someone who is going to just ridicule or bad mouth you because you made a mistake. Sometimes a good trainer can sort out a problem really fast and then work with you and the horse until you can cope, its worth the cost. Parents - get your kids involved in a pony club or 4H group, get them for regular lessons on the pony
And remember - the best horsemen/women are the ones who know they never stop learning

I am not that experienced as a rider , and it's been like 8 years since I have last rode , but I at least had enough sense to get 2 older horses! I knew I didn't want a younger horse that I couldn't handle , because that would have just led to me getting hurt or maybe even the horse , two things I don't want to happen! People should just use their heads on stuff like this , why put yourself in danger ?

Most definately the truth! 13 years ago I got my first horse, I was 16 or 17 and thankgoodness had the help of my trainer. My dad bought me a horse but just dropped it off to me, she was saddle broke that was it. Thankfully she wasn't mean. We ran into just about every problem.

Horses change lives. They give our young people confidence and self esteem. They provide peace and tranquility to troubled souls- they give us hope!

GOOD FOR YOU turning away the girl. You saved her from probably harm. I've gotten heat bc I sold a TB to the meat market after he pulled out his back on ice several years ago. I got him (free) when he was 8yo, and for the 8 years I had him he never completely turned himself around. DH and I were bucked off several times OR sat down on. When he slipped on the ice my Vet suggested a chiropractor. I put him in the trailer and sold him for MEAT. I KNEW that the next owner would be fooled as I was and would THINK he was a good mount, until he pulled his bag of tricks out. I figured that his age would attract a teenager looking for the first horse. He had abilities and could jump--I only took him over 4'5". but he could do more. You just pushed the wrong button for an explosion, and I didn't want to hear about a child being hurt. I didn't cause the problem, but I DID end it.
As we debate about the TV trainers here, please remember that THEY are training horses that turn out right. I would be happy to own a horse started and finished by Clinton Anderson, or Ken McNabb or Chris Cox or Craig Cameron any day of the week.
OA, hug yourself and move on. You've harmed no one.

I have to applaud you for your total honesty, its a shame more people don't have this attitude because if they did there would be fewer people out there owning problem horses/ponies. It annoys me when I hear a current owner being accused of causing a problem that most time they bought because the seller was either unscrupulous or just dumping a problem on someone else. Do Gooders are going along to auctions and feed lots and buying a cheap horse and thinking they are rescuing it but they often have no clue of how to deal with it or even why its there in the first place.
I have never been one to give up easily and always explore and try every reasonable way to sort a problem, there are lots of new methods and old ones out there and lots of better people than I am but now and again there are some horses out there that can't be fixed, maybe because they have an unsoundness thats beyond repair and they are in pain or maybe because their mental problem is just too complicated to sort out even by the most expert of people and hard though it might seem, the best place for them is that great pasture in the sky, either by having your veterinarian euthanise it on your yard or you take it direct to a local slaughter yard, its your choice but its also your responsibility. I would rather do that than pass a horse on to someone who doesn't know whats wrong with it or stick it in an auction and convince myself that its going to have a happy ending because that just isn't going to happen and while people are wasting time on these animals perfectly good ones are going to the slaughter yards because there aren't enough homes to go around.
Buy a horse that suits your needs and abilities. Its important to have a trainer for guidance and lessons but if after a while you are finding that you still can't handle or ride your horse without them then its time to move on.

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